Mood Induction Significantly Impacts IL-18 in Depressed Patients

HealthDay News — Experimental mood induction is associated with changes in central opioid neurotransmission, according to a study published in Molecular Psychiatry.

Noting that there are strong associations between baseline interleukin (IL)-18 levels and µ-opioid receptor availability in major depressive disorder (MDD), Alan R. Prossin, MD, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues hypothesized that experimental mood induction would change IL-18. They examined the impact of experimental induced mood (sad, neutral) on plasma IL-18 and correlations with concurrent changes in central opioid neurotransmission in 28 volunteers (healthy or with MDD).